By
On
In Reviews
With 0 Comments

Being an introvert isn’t the embarrassing secret it once was—Susan Cain’s Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking did loads to unravel the ‘mystery’ surrounding introverts and demonstrate that the introvert’s way of going about things is something contemporary society is in dire need of. As such, it comes as no surprise that many a book on introversion and how to be an introvert in a world celebrating the extravert have reached the market in the past few years. Being a fan of her work, Joanna Penn’s Public Speaking for Authors, Creatives and other Introverts immediately comes to mind.

Jamie Arpin-Ricci’s The Introvert Writer: Being Your Creative Best By Being Your Truest Self is such a book. Focusing not on the introvert in general but on the introvert writer in particular, Arpin-Ricci tries to provide a view as broad as possible on what being an introvert writer entails. He doesn’t just focus on the introvert writer’s strengths, he also points out the pitfalls of being both an introvert and a writer and how we can overcome these while staying true to ourselves. And with success.

The changing face of publishing

One of the first things Arpin-Ricci acknowledges is that the market as it is today demands writers, especially the self-published ones, to get out there and promote their books by becoming a public figure. We might not like it—and Arpin-Ricci doesn’t argue we need to—but it is what it is. If we want to have a successful writing career Read More →

By
On
In Blog posts
With 0 Comments

As you can read in my review of Joanna Penn’s The Successful Author Mindset: A Handbook for Surviving the Writer’s Journey, one of the practices the book made me want to pick up was that of setting intentions and reflecting on the results on a monthly basis. I’m officially starting tomorrow, but now I’ve caught the intention bug, I wanted to take a moment to consider the past month, and reflect on what November has brought me. So here goes.

Projects done

One of the projects I worked on last month was to reread a sci-fi novel that I edited last August. It was the first time I went over a novel again to check on how the writer had incorporated my comments and it was such a good experience in that it made it very tangible just how much my reading of a work helps writers to tell better stories. It was also quite flattering to see how much of my advice was taken into account. If you’re interested in this particular book, you can get it for free by joining the writer’s email list here.

I also worked on the outline of the second book in the fantasy series I’m writing. Read More →

By
On
In Blog posts, Reviews
With 0 Comments

Reading The Successful Author Mindset on our way to Dublin!I am a big fan of Joanna Penn. I listen to her podcast The Creative Penn almost religiously, and admire the wild generosity with which she shares her knowledge about the world of indie publishing like nothing else. Naturally, when I heard her talk about her new book The Successful Author Mindset: A Handbook for Surviving the Writer’s Journey, in which she was going to share even more than she already did, I knew I had to get myself a copy.

Open and honest

Joanna Penn is about as honest and open about what it’s like to be a writer as it gets, and the same goes for The Successful Author Mindset: A Handbook for Surviving the Writer’s Journey. I have to admit I was a little disappointed when it arrived because it only had 142 pages (yes, I bought an actual copy), but I soon realised the book is that small because it cuts right to the chase. There’s no beating around the bush, no unnecessary fluff, just Penn being as straightforward as she could possibly be, without being mean about it.

A universal struggle

The book is divided in three parts—Mindset Aspects of Creativity and Writing; Mindset Aspects after Publishing; and Tips for Success on the Author Journey—and in each part, Penn tackles the issues most associated with each of these. Read More →

By
On
In Blog posts
With 0 Comments

In the past weeks, I’ve been shining a light on the idea of being a “prolific” writer. Today, I will share the fourth and last question I ask when trying to figure out what my clients want from their writing – How many words do YOU want to write per day?

Figure out YOUR ideal word count

How to Effortlessly Write 1000+ Words – Per HOUR. The 2kH Formula: How To Instantly Write At Least 2,000 Words PER HOUR. 5,000 Words Per Hour: Write Faster, Write Smarter. 10,000 Words A Day: The definitive guide to writing faster, writing better, and writing every day.

These are just a few of the books published in the last two years that stress the importance of learning how to write not only better, but also faster. 10,000 words a day? NaNoWriMo just became a piece of cake!

Read More →

By
On
In Special offers

NaNoWriMo Calendar 2012 Fresh Ribbon A

In three weeks’ time, National Novel Writing Month will begin. Hundreds of thousands of writers across the world. 30 days. 50,000 words before the end of November.

But then what? What are you going to do with that pile of words come December? Put it in a drawer? Rewrite? Find beta readers?

Or are you going to enter a giveaway for a full developmental edit of your NaNoWriMo 2016 project? I thought so.

In honour of NaNoWriMo 2016, I am giving away a FREE developmental edit up to 50K words worth $575/£465. What is more, I have teamed up with my colleague Michelle Leedy, who will be giving away a FREE copy-edit up to 50K words. That’s two separate giveaways, two chances to win!

Is this giveaway for me?

Did you or are you going to sign up for NaNoWriMo 2016? Then, yes. Do you write in English or Dutch? Then, yes.

What can I win?

A full developmental edit up to 50K words.

A developmental edit is a content edit that helps you develop every single aspect of your story, including plot, characters, structure, pace, voice, audience, and setting. It points out larger issues and zooms in on every little detail. A full developmental edit will get you two separate documents. The first document will contain my overall assessment and advice on the story as a whole, including strengths and weaknesses. The second document will contain your work including extensive comments, suggestions, and track changes on all aspects of your story.

How do I enter the giveaway?

Read More →